Whether Matt Flynn or Terrelle Pryor starts at quarterback, the Oakland Raiders are going to being hurting throughout the 2013 regular season.

When the preseason got under way, it was assumed that Flynn would be the Raiders’ starter under center. Through three preseason outings, though, it appears that the top job is again up for grabs. If anything, it might even be Pryor’s to lose.

However, that has little to do with how well Pryor has played so far this preseason.

Flynn has played so poorly – especially in the latest game against the Chicago Bears – that he gift-wrapped an opportunity for Pryor to steal away the starting gig. Unfortunately for Flynn, Pryor took the opportunity and ran with it, putting up 93 yards and a touchdown on 7-9 passing while also picking up 37 yards and another score on the ground against Chicago.

Still, Pryor isn’t exactly an ideal candidate to start either. With poor accuracy and an extremely raw understanding of the intricacies of playing quarterback in the NFL, he’s going to struggle when throwing against first-team defenses. The majority of his success during the preseason has come against second- or third-team defenses, which can be a bit deceiving.

The other factor in this scenario that spells doom for the Raiders is the fact that they have such a putrid offensive line. Especially following the triceps injury of left tackle Jared Veldheer, Oakland will be forced to start either Alex Barron or rookie Menelik Watson on the blindside. Either way will be a nightmare for the Raiders.

At this point, the Raiders have only one solid starter along the front five (center Stefen Wisniewski), which is going to make throwing the football even harder for whoever starts. Seeing as Flynn can’t handle pressure and Pryor isn’t a polisher passer, this concoction is bound to blow up in head coach Dennis Allen’s face.

No matter who starts under center for the Raiders, wins are going to be scarce in 2013.